06 Nov, 2009

Personal trainers are awesome. There are gentle ones, yelling ones, encouraging ones, abusive ones – whatever your preference, it can be catered for. However, sometimes a girl needs to call in a big-shot workout professional, like Dr Rob Newton, professor of exercise and sports science at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. We asked  (read: begged) him for the inside info on training. We’ve compiled the best bits.

Running burns some serious fat

Running is a weight-bearing activity that uses a lot of energy, so your body will try to make it easier on you by shedding kilos. If you’re worried about injuries, get a good pair of shoes, try to run on a soft surface, and build up intensity over time.

Sit-ups won’t shrink your belly

You can’t spot-reduce areas, like your tummy, hips, thighs and butt, with certain exercises. To get them down to size, you need to burn off the fat covering them – flabby bits can be eliminated by raising your heart rate with aerobic exercise (running, cycling, etc.).

Interval training sheds the kilos

Alternating between going hard for 10 seconds and easing up for 10 seconds will help you lose more fat than continuous exercise. This can be applied to any sport, such as running, swimming, rowing or cycling. Make the intervals longer as you gain more strength.

The average girl can’t bulk up from doing weights

The vast majority of women do not have the genetic potential to grow big muscles. Body builders look the way they do because they put in enormous hours at the gym, eat very strategically, and get other assistance (not all of it legal).

Pilates and yoga are poor choices if you want to lose fat

It’s important to remember that you lose fat by expending energy (and lots of it). Think aerobic exercise, like running, cycling and swimming – all of which will trim you down. Then there’s weight training, which produces muscle-building hormones – great for tone. Unlike these types of exercise, Pilates and yoga will not affect the levels of fat in your body, though they’re excellent for core strength and flexibility.

Detox diets are a waste of time and money

Any eating plan you can’t maintain for life is no good – you’ll just put the weight back on when you stop dieting (every woman should know this by now!). If you really want to “detox”, as in eliminate toxins from your body, then quit smoking, ease up on the booze, eat well-balanced food, and exercise regularly. These are things that you can do your whole life.

Weights are brilliant ... if you’ve cut back your food intake

Restricting food makes you lose muscle and bone as well as fat. But, by combining smaller meals with at least two resistance workouts per week, you’ll stay toned
and avoid muscle wasting.